Naked Souls

by Karen Botha

  “I just thank my lucky stars that I’ve been dabbling in between quitting the squad and re-enlisting. At least I’m fresher than I would have otherwise been.”

  The assemblage of tables hushes for the first time since we arrived, a reflection on what Paula is saying. A case involving me in the not too distant past. They’re all holding their breaths, standing by for my response.

  “It’s OK guys, at least some good may come out of that whole sordid business.”

  Spirits lift again and the detectives relax, sagging on their benches, re-crossing legs and releasing audible sighs.

  “So, what’s your first impression, Paula?” Lucy asks.

  Paula gulps her wine and rolls the acidity over her tastebuds before answering. “We haven't got that far if we’re honest. We’re still gathering the facts.”

  “Oh, go on...” Lucy prompts.

  Mo smiles, but allows Paula to continue. “We’re still studying patterns. IT is handling the data, or lack of it, but we haven’t established an order to ages nor genders. They are all at various stages of decomposition-”

  “And there are exactly one hundred bodies,” Jim cuts in, “seems a bit odd to have such an exact number.”

  The team nod and I’m inclined to agree with them, although I’m wary of offering my opinion up for debate against such experienced and developed minds.

  “Anything else?” Lucy leans forward, knocking my knee with hers in her thirst for gory specifics.

  “The forensics are running over the scene with a fine tooth comb, so we’re blind right now. No tox reports yet either, it’ll take days, it’s so frustrating,” Mo says.

  I splosh my overfull pint of beer on my trousers as I miss my lips. ‘That’ll teach me to pay more attention,’ I reprimand myself. I’m too busy focusing on not missing any tiny detail after my past deficiencies in this department.

  “Where were the remains found?” I ask, “I might be acquainted with some dodgy casino owners in the area.” I wink to make light of my dubious contacts before proceeding. “There are a few underground gambling spots in the original East End, my connections may be able to assist, shall we say? It could be worth checking out.”

  “Great idea,” Mo says before Paula has had the chance to counter.

  She remains unspeaking, but nods with vigour. “Never one to look a gift horse in the mouth.” She goes onto give me the details I require and yes, it’s embarrassing but I allow my chest to swell, honoured to be trusted with such knowledge. “I’ll get on to it right away,” I say as I bolt up from the table and nip outside with my phone already half way out of my pocket.

  Paula

  It’s way later than it should be to be getting home on a school night. Especially when we’re in the middle of a fresh case. Throw in a good dose of inebriation and my first week isn’t going by the book.

  But, we didn’t waste our time down at the pub. The team chatted in a less formal environment. I’m all for that, we all work hard and long unsociable hours. There’s no need at all for those to all be behind a desk.

  Plus, we found out who owns the derelict building from Adam and his contacts. Mo and I will pay a little visit to their plush offices in Canary Wharf when they open first thing in the morning. That’s invaluable information that although we’re the police and should have access to anything and everything we need, the amount of hoops we need to pole vault through mean it’s never as quick as a simple call from one person to another.

  I jump out of my Uber and head to my front door when I stop dead. It’s ajar. Yes, it is definitely open.

  “Boob?” I shout for my trusty French Bulldog. ‘That bloody dog walker mustn’t have closed the door behind her.’

  There’s no sound from inside, no scratching as Boob struggles to rouse herself from her sleep upon my homecoming. ‘Oh no, please Boob, don’t have made a run for it through the open door. Was the gate closed? I can’t remember.’

  “Boob?” I shout a little louder. Still nothing. I make a frantic scan of the street behind me in case she’s pottering around, smelling musty walls but I don’t see her so I run inside and through my downstairs in case she’s just out cold from too much running after the ball in the park.

  And that’s when I spot it. A small note, typed on a clean, white card propped up on the middle of my fireplace.

  ‘STAY AWAY’

  That’s all it says. Bloody hell, where is Boob? Did someone take her? What is this case that we’ve blundered into?

  I leave the card untouched, instinct and training combining to prevent me from ruining any evidence.

  A rattle sends the hairs on the back of my neck standing on end. It’s coming from the rear of my open plan house, somewhere in the kitchen. The front door is still laying open, but I feel the space close in around me, and my temperature rises as I run through various routes of exit. My nerves are on red alert, the roots of each hair needling my skull as I brace myself for the worst. My heart pounds in my chest as Boob ambles in, grinning that I’m finally home.

  She whines, and wiggles her bum at me as I sink into the sofa.

  “Oh girl, I thought something had happened to you.” Even though we’re alone, I don’t voice that I also feared something bad was also about to happen to me. She nuzzles her head into my knee and I grab her either side of her face and bury my head into her, spreading my arms down her body until I’m giving her a full on bear hug.

  “You’re OK girl,” I say, my voice soft as I allow relief to wash away my tension.

  When we’ve reacquainted, we make our way to my open front door together. I pull out my phone and call Mo. He answers within one ring, and I explain about my anonymous message and that’s when I spot my back door. This must be where Boob had been. It’s been crow barred open.

  I inspect the handiwork. Visitors always worried about Boob’s dog door being large, but they never mention about the wooden door and frame. And this is how my unwelcome visitor gained access. The splintered wood smells fresh.

  But, that leaves the front door left ajar. My blood runs icy cold. Did who ever broke in hope Boob would escape and have harm come to her? What other reason could there be for leaving both doors open?

  My attention snaps back to Mo on the other end of the phone.

  “Something isn’t adding up here Mo. It was an anonymous call that had us finding all those bodies in the first place and now this anonymous note. Plus, how did they know where to leave it? Someone must have facts already on who is looking into this case. And how would they know that?”

  There’s a pause before Mo voices the conclusion I came to whilst downloading on him, “It could be Adam, or his contacts at least. He’s the only person outside the case that has put feelers out. He may be on to something without even realising.”

  I nod, “I wonder if Adam’s contact alerted the criminal to what we’re up to, or whether Adam inadvertently called the perp directly.”

  “Yeah, he did say he knows some unsavoury characters in the casino business. It wouldn’t be beyond the wit of man.”

  “But how have they learnt where I live? They planted this before I even got home, they can’t have followed me.”

  “Listen, you more than anyone knows what can be done with a good computer hacker on your side. Look at what you’ve unveiled with Jerome.”

  He has a fair point there. Jerome is an excellent and loyal friend for the right price, adept at unearthing even the most buried information.

  “Listen Paula, are you going to be OK staying home on your own? I know it must be tough after, well, you know, everything...”

  “Hey, I’m fine. I’m not on my own anyway, I have Boob to keep me safe. And I’ll no doubt have a locksmith here half the night to secure the back door as well.” I rub her head, my palm is sweaty, and it sticks to her fur. Boob is not the best guard dog, but I’m not about to be flushed out of my home on my first case back on the job.

  We hang up and I set an automatic text to send to Adam at 5am. That’s h
is get-up time and I want to have all the details of who he’s been in touch with and where I can find them when I wake at 6am. There’s no point setting my alarm for any earlier than needed, tomorrow promises to be a long enough day as it is. When that’s done, my phone flicks back to my address book. Under Adam’s name is Andy. I run my finger over his name and it displays our latest texts.

  Adam

  I have a morning routine. I rise at 5am, shower, breakfast and all the boring stuff and then I’ll decide where I’m going to begin my working day.

  One problem with owning a casino is it’s a 24 hour business so there’s never a lull when the place is quiet so there’s no good time to get work banged out. Sometimes I will head into the West End early to avoid the traffic, but just as often I’ll work from my home office for a few hours.

  Now that Lucy is at mine more often, and I’m more inclined to plump for this latter option. We leave later in the morning and take the drive in together in time for her to start her day massaging my team.

  Today, Lucy is working with her private clients at her therapy room at her house, so I was planning on seeing Todd, my new business partner. He’s still learning the ropes so needs a little more help from me than he will further down the line. But, then I got the text from Paula and it made me freeze on the spot.

  ‘Had a card from an unknown telling me to stay away. Only person I can think of who could track me down would be your contact. Please pass on details so I can investigate connections further.’

  I’m not happy about passing on Eric’s details, both he and Paula are friends of mine on opposite ends of the moral spectrum and I’d rather not put Paula in a position whereby she can’t look past his more dubious associations. If this is connected, then I’d be more likely to get information out of my contacts than she would, anyway. And so I offer to take a trip down there and see Eric myself. I’m just waiting for a list of questions from her to guide my chat and I’ll be on my way. In the interim I can’t concentrate.

  I wander into the modern open plan lounge space and am greeted by a Lucy, buttocks splayed in the air whilst she supports herself on both hands and feet. I pause.

  Her display is quite amazing.

  Clad in nothing more than a white lycra bodysuit, it leaves little to my imagination, which is just the way I like it. My gaze drifts from the tanned skin at the top of her thighs and hips to where the pearly material cuts her in half displaying the bulge of her sex like a pot of gold. The white pocket surrounded by soft skin is an awesome sight.

  My cock stiffens in appreciation and I rub my hand over it enjoying the stimulation of my firm palm above the soft fleece of my gym shorts.

  The TV instructs her to adopt a three legged dog, and Lucy dutifully raises one leg. The flimsy fabric which was only part covering her buttocks before, is now stripped bare from the movement and all that remains is the sheath over her mound as she lowers her leg, then takes it out wide before angling it towards her elbow.

  At this point, I should be in awe of her ability to move with such impressive dynamism. I am however, more concerned with the slippage of that vulnerable sliver of material as she widens her posture and moves her thigh forward. I have to fight with myself not to undress and take her right then, and if not her, then myself.

  She replaces the leg on her mat and then moves her hips in low circles arching her back, whilst all the while remaining face down. As she tips her hips backwards to create an intense arc, her head raises, and it’s only at this point that I notice her eyes are closed.

  As she lifts her other leg to mimic her previous movement with her second leg, that precious piece of material slips even more, revealing the edge of her shaven lips. I’d love to bury my face in there right now. But instead, I tip-toe to the side for a better view of her firm butt cheeks, so round and juicy and exposed, I could just take a bite. The straps of her all-in-one are low and the downward force of her position linked with the weight of her full breasts means I can almost see her nipples. They’re right on the tip of the fabric, she just needs to raise her arms; and bingo.

  She lowers her leg and with it, her position shifts again. Now seated cross legged with her back and right side facing me, my view is restricted. The low cut of the top only scrapes the sides of her breasts and their shape displays as she raises her arms above her head, locks her fingers and arches over to her left. After a few moments, she swaps to the other side. I wait. Patient. The way this girl is moving there is sure to be more.

  And I’m not disappointed.

  She rolls onto her back and flips her legs over her head. Now the sliver of material between her legs is pulled really fucking tight and I can see everything. I study the way her lips meet in the middle and I can’t contain my excitement any longer.

  Being barefoot, I’m able to make it to her before she has the chance to notice. With a swift movement that can only be made without error after the substantial consideration I’ve given it, I slip that testy piece of fabric to the side and plant my face in to her.

  “Ohh.” She gasps as her legs naturally rock forward in shock. I’m ready though, and steady her, both hands on her solid rump. I knead her as she moves at the same time as delving my tongue within her, greedy to taste.

  Lucy moans. “I hoped you might watch.”

  “You knew I was watching?”

  “I thought you might, I hoped you would.” Her voice is husky.

  With that I can withstand no longer and I strip myself of my shorts and plunge my cock deep inside her. Her eyes widen with the force and she lets out a gasp before sucking in more air. I’m so deep with her legs still wrapped over her head I feel like there’s nothing left to give. She’s giving herself to me, and the atmosphere is charged. The end of my cock tingles as I pull out and then as I dive back in my head swims with passion and wanting.

  I slide my hands to the muscles on her calves and clench my fingers enjoying their firmness, my cock growing even harder. My balls smack against her as I fling myself deeper, leaning forward and pushing off my toes, every part of me taut.

  “Oh Adam.” She moans, and that does it.

  My climax rushes down from my heart like a bullet, hurtling towards its destination. My balls constrict and then everything explodes. My back bows backwards and my voice is gruff as I cry out, “Lucy” before releasing my grip and collapsing on her allowing our sweat to mingle as our chests meet in a happy, but speedy, breathing.

  I can’t hang around as long as I’d like, I have somewhere important to be, so I jump off and head to the shower.

  “Where are you going?”

  “I need to clean up and get moving.”

  “You want some company?” She rolls onto her stomach and props her chin on the back of her hand.

  My heart pulls, torn at my lack of options. “I can’t sweetie, I have to leave, I've an appointment with Eric before work. Something odd happened to Paula last night.”

  “What? What happened and how come she’s telling you before me now?”

  “Ah, don’t worry she just wanted Eric’s details, so she messaged me because I had them. She got a note placed inside her house telling her to stay away. It was there when she got home so I’m just checking out whether it came from Eric or anyone he may have told.”

  “Oh no. Adam, have you not learnt?”

  “What?”

  “Don’t get involved in these cases. The police have a job to do and they’re good at it. Leave them to it.”

  “Listen, Paula said it was fine, I didn’t push, I just suggested. I may be able to glean more out of Eric than she can. I’m fine, Eric won’t hurt me.”

  Lucy follows me down the hall to our en suite. “Really? He’s a dodgy character, that’s why you contacted him in the first place.”

  I take both her cheeks in my hands and pull her towards me planting her plump lips with a firm kiss. “I’ll be fine.”

  Lucy

  I am not happy. Not happy at all. I know Paula is in the middle of a case, a
nd with one hundred bodies piled up in a warehouse I can see how she’s keen to get to the bottom of it, but why does this need to involve Adam? And why does he insist on being so eager? He’s a bright man, doesn’t he learn from the past? Grr.

  I pace around, trying to come to a rational conclusion about my next move. I must go into my work, I can’t cancel my appointments, so following Adam is not an option. Plus, what good would it do? Once he’s inside the building, Adam will be away from my view, anyway. No, following him doesn’t make any sense. I’ll just go to work and when I’ve finished up with my 11am client, I’ll give him a call and make sure then that he’s OK. If he isn’t, I can raise the alarm then. It’s a bit lame, but it’s the best I can do. He is an adult, after all, responsible for making his own decisions.

  Now, for Paula. She deserves a piece of my mind. She knows more than anyone what can happen if you don’t play these situations by the book and yet, she still insists on pushing boundaries. The thing with her is, she becomes obsessed, totally consumed by whatever case she’s working on. It’s not a massive surprise that now she’s back on the job and a big case comes in that she reverts to form. But I need to have a word with her.

  She answers quickly, I’d half expected her to avoid my call. “I know, I know, but Adam was happy to go. It is his mate before you start.”

  “Ugh, Paula, how can you be so blasé. Have you got back-up following him to make sure he’s OK?”

  “No, of course not. That defeats the object and, if anything, will place Adam in more danger.”

  “So you’re just leaving him to go out there and meet with hardened criminals who you suspect of tracking you down and threatening your safety?”

  “Listen, he mixes with these types all the time, don’t kid yourself. You know what the casino business is like. Heck, you work in one yourself now, so you can’t pull all this Miss Innocent anymore. Adam has agreed to call me as soon as he’s out. That way we’ll know all went well with Eric.”